Saying I Love You
by CSluvGCY
Summary: Set after ACC. Cloud sorts out his feelings of life. It's Tifa who can't let seem to believe him. Dedicated to zodious. Songfic. CloTi


Saying I Love You

Author's Note: Dedicated to **zodious (**because you wanted a story in 3rd person.) I know I should be working on "Only For You", but this story has been in my mind for the longest time, EVER! I just had to post it up, or else my brain would've exploded! Lol. This song was inspired by the Wonder Girls, my favorite girl band group. Which, you can imagine how excited I was when they said the Wonder Girls were going to do a tour around the US. I translated the lyrics to English, so it looks kinda short. Well, anyways, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII, nor do I own 'The Case of Tifa', or 'Saying I Love You' by Wondergirls.**

_~You'd always ask me 'How come you never say I love you? Do you really love me?'~_

"I love you,"

It was a whisper, almost too quiet to hear. She could feel his heavy breath on her neck.

…Cloud?

She wanted to move; say something, but she stayed frozen on the spot. She felt the urge to just get up and pretend she hadn't heard those three heart-wrenching words come out of his mouth.

"I've always had...feelings for you. I didn't know what it was at first, or if it was even a feeling. I just..sensed that I had feelings..for you. This feeling of somehow..wanting to protect you. After you got that scar," He lifted his arm up, pointing to the huge scar across her chest, "I promised myself I'd never let you get hurt ever again. I..I've failed. I'm sorry."

He bowed his head, shamefully. A second of silence passed before he lifted his eyes up slowly and asked," Do you love me?,"

_~But you know, I wanted something sweeter. I want to confess to you just like those lovers from movies, so that you won't forget.~_

"I..I heard what you said..when I was asleep."

There. She said it. It's been almost a week since that day, and she just didn't have the strength to hold it in anymore.

Cloud looked up at her, hesitant, but determined. "I..I see."

Cloud quickly turned away while Tifa looked down at her fingers. Both their hearts were pounding like crazy, ready to jump out of their chests. Cloud's breath got heavier. _She heard what I said?How..how much did she hear? _Cloud stole a quick glance at Tifa. At the same time, she had looked up at him. Both faces were flushed as they turned away again.

The room was filled with silence, but if possible, you could hear their hearts beating. Tifa gulped. _Am I supposed to tell him that I love him?, _she thought. She snapped out of her thoughts and focused on her now shaking fingers. Cloud on the other hand, was now holding in his breath. _Okay..okay. I.. Come on, Strife. Just ask her if she loves you, too. Okay. 'Do..do you love m..me?' _

…?

Cloud blinked. How come she didn't say anything?

He turned to look at her. She had her back facing him. He took a deep breath and walked towards her. He gulped. "So?,"

She looked up at him. "W-what?,"

"Do you.. How do you feel about me..," He panicked, "leaving to Costa Del Sol?- I mean, Kalm. Or Rocket Town."

"Wha- Leave? Now? But, you can't!,"

"I have to."

"Why?," she asked.

"It's..complicated."

"Complicated how?," she challenged.

"I..I just have to go. It's..important."

"More important than family?," Tifa countered.

"..No. But-"

"I understand," Tifa said, walking towards the stairs. "It's no use trying to stop you."

She sighed and turned to face Cloud. "Sometimes, I just wish you would tell me why you're doing this."

"Because I don't want to hurt you anymore," Cloud whispered, but she had already walked into her room and closed the door.

_~I've waited for the white snow. I'll confess to you now, the words I've held back. I love you, your smile brighter than the sunset, you two hands that embraced me. I love you, I love you.~_

"Is it snowing? Is it snowing?," asked Marlene, running down the stairs.

Tifa smiled. "Not yet. But, I'm sure it will pretty soon."

"Is something wrong?," asked Marlene.

Tifa swore her heart just skipped a beat. "N-no. Everything's perfect. You and Denzel are safe, the bar's not messy, Cloud's home..,"

"It's Cloud, then?," Marlene interjected.

Tifa blushed furiously. "N-no." Marlene's eyes stayed on her, saying 'I don't buy it.'

"W-what? It's not!,"

"Uh-hmm. If you're not telling me, I'm calling Yuffie," she threatened.

Tifa bent down to level with Marlene. "How 'bout this? On the first day of snow, I'll tell you."

"I won't remember by then! Well, unless it's tomorrow.. No. I'm sticking with calling Yuffie.",'

"I..Fine. Call Yuffie," Tifa pouted.

Marlene smiled sweetly and ran to the phone. Tifa groaned. _Lost to a kid.. I'm getting lame. _

"Tifa!,"

Tifa turned around and was suddenly being pulled into an embrace. "Are you okay? Nothing happened, right?,"

Tifa's body stiffened as she realized who was hugging her. She bit her lip. "W-what do you mean? Nothing happened. I was just drying the cups and..,"

Cloud pulled away from her. "You..you're not hurt?," Cloud asked, looking her over.

Tifa shook her head. "It was a normal day. That is..until you came."

Cloud blushed. "Oh,"

Their eyes met, but were quickly torn apart as they turned away, their backs facing each other. Tifa's eyes roamed the bar, looking for something to do so it wouldn't feel so awkward like it did last night. Ah! She spotted a dirty rag behind a chair in the corner. Just as she was walking towards it, Cloud tugged on her wrist. He immediately wrapped his arms around her elbows, so that she would have to look him in the eyes (and him, too.) "Cloud!," Tifa gasped.

Cloud looked her in the eyes. "Tifa, I..There's something I've been meaning to tell you. Now more than ever. I..I..I-I love you," he forced out.

His breaths became heavy. _I did it_, he thought.

He waited for her response..but it-

"Why..?," she asked, her eyes filling up with tears.

Cloud looked straight into her eyes, reassuring her that it was the truth. "There isn't really any specific reason why I..love you; I just do."

A tear fell from her eyes. "I meant..why now? Didn't it-didn't it ever cross your mind that you're too late?,"

_Too..too late? _He slowly turned away. _I've always been too late; for Tifa, Aerith, everybody. _

"Cloud, I didn't mean it that way. It's just-it's hard for me to..to believe in things," She looked away. "I..I don't think love is for me."

"I-Why can't we try? Maybe it'll-,"

"Work?," asked Tifa, finishing his sentence. She looked at him. "I-I don't think it'll work out," she lied, her eyes tearing up.

Cloud looked at Tifa. "But, I thought that maybe-,"

"I don't want to be second in your heart, Cloud. Never. When I die, I..I want to be _with _you, not watch you making love with Aerith while my heart is breaking. I-I don't want to be alone..you're the only one I have left. I don't want to lose you..,"

And with that, she ran up the stairs to her room, tears streaming down her face. Little did she know that her words had shattered Cloud's heart into a million pieces.

_~I promise that I will never leave you. I will always tell it to you face-to-face.~_

"What's that place?," Denzel asked, pointing to a spot on the map.

"It has..monsters." Cloud replied, not really paying attention.

"How 'bout this place?," Marlene asked, pointing to the exact same spot as Denzel had.

"Crushed dreams and broken hearts..," said Cloud, 'X'ing it out.

Denzel and Marlene looked at each other. Denzel's eyes said, 'What's wrong with him?' while Marlene's said, 'Time for Plan LOVE'. Denzel's eyes brightened and he quickly nodded. Marlene made an 'L' shape with her left hand, signalling the start of their plan. Denzel smiled and slightly nodded. He looked at Cloud and asked, "What do you think about when you look at Tifa?"

Cloud tensed and looked up. "Huh?,"

"You heard him, Cloud. Answer please?," Marlene pleaded.

"I..I-I..Nothing."

"Come on! There's gotta be **something!**," Denzel exclaimed.

"..Food." Cloud answered, looking back down.

"Food?," Marlene asked.

"She makes good food, yeah." Cloud replied.

"That's it?," Denzel asked.

Cloud nodded and 'mhmmed' in response.

Denzel 'tsked' and followed Marlene to Cloud's room. "Now what?," he asked.

Marlene didn't answer. She was too busy opening and closing Cloud's drawers. "What..are you doing?," Denzel asked.

"A couple days ago..I was in Cloud's room, getting his clothes for 'Laundry Day'. I accidently knocked a drawer down, and some of his stuff came out."

"And?,"

"And..I found _this,_ in _that_ napkin, in _those_ pants," answered Marlene, holding a pink pantie, pointing to an unfolded napkin on the ground, next to a pair of pants.

"So..Plan Lingerie?," asked Denzel.

Marlene smirked. "Plan Lingerie."

_~You ask me 'What's there to hesitate about? Is it that hard? I want to hear what you got to say'.~_

_**Flashback~**_

"You love him?," asked Yuffie. Tifa hesitated, but then nodded slowly. "Aaaaaand he loves you?,"

Tifa sighed. "I..I think so."

Yuffie cocked her head to the side. "You _think?,_"

"It's..it's complicated. Back then in Avalanche, me and Aerith both liked him. But, I _**tried **_to hide my feelings..that is, until I fell too hard for him and wanted him to see me. But, I couldn't even try to come between them. Aerith's past was all too hard, so I rooted her on, no matter how much it hurt."

Tifa crossed her arms on the table and rested her chin on them. "One night, Aerith confirmed that she would be going on a date with Cloud. I helped her get ready and cheered her on."

Her eyes began watering and her voice started shaking. "L-Later that night, I-I laid in bed and cried and cried and c-cried until I f-fell asleep. It hurt s-so much, and it st-still does to this d-day. Aerith was my fr-friend, and..I'd feel **so **b-bad if I took the man she l-loved after her death."

She wiped at her tears on her face. Yuffie's heart sank. She'd normally say, 'Guys are jerks anyways!' or 'There are more chocobos in the ranch', but seeing Tifa like this was rare. Never **once **in her life, had Tifa opened up about Cloud (unless, he was asleep). And seeing Tifa actually open up, told her that her friend was suffering right now. Yuffie put an arm around her, trying to somehow comfort her.

Tifa clenched her fist over her heart, trying to somehow stop the pain. Her breaths became heavy, but her tears had stopped. She took a deep breath. "I..I think I'm going to be okay. I **have **to be okay. Those kids need a family. It's broken enough as it is."

She sniffed. "I can't be weak; not in front of him, especially not him. If I can't be happy, I'll at least get to give the children happiness, am I right?,"

Yuffie hesitantly nodded. Tifa smiled. "It's going to be alright. Let's do this."

And with that, Tifa walked up to the bar counter and started drying dishes. Yuffie on the other hand, went outside. Pulling out her PHS, she dialed a number. It went straight to the voicemail. "Hey, Cloud! It's me, Yuffie! Listen, something's happened to Tifa! I don't know.. Call me as-" click. _Ha. Now __**that **__sounds pretty believable, am I right?Muahahahaha!_

_**Flashback end~**_

_~But you know, I wanted something more special. I want a special day I can always remember, so that it won't pass forgotten.~_

Denzel and Marlene skipped down the stairs, with the pantie in hand. "Hey, Cloud. We were in your room looking at your pictures, and we sorta..knocked some stuff down." said Denzel, innocently.

Cloud looked up at them. "It's okay. I can finally clean up all my stuff from the old days."

"Old days as in Avalance?," asked Marlene.

"Mhmm. I barely have any things from then, but I think I should get rid of it all."

"All of it? It's not a bad thing to keep them, ya know?," said Marlene.

Cloud gave them a suspicious look. "What're you up to?,"

"Nothing," they replied at the same time.

He tried to see what Marlene was holding behind pointed to it. "What's that?,"

She smiled sweetly. "Oh, you mean _this?_," she said, holding up the pantie with her thumb and pointing finger.

Cloud's eyes locked on to it, his eyes bulging. His mouth hung open, and his face as pink as the pantie itself.

"Is it.._hers?_," Marlene asked, concerned.

He looked from Marlene to Denzel, too shocked to say anything.

"You..you had sex with _her_, didn't you?," Denzel hissed.

Cloud gulped. "How..Even after everything Tifa's done for you, you went and had sex with.._her_?," Denzel exclaimed.

Marlene dropped the pantie and grabbed Cloud's arm. "It's not true, is it? She..Aerith was a nice lady, but..you didn't, right?,"

Cloud finally found his voice, "No, I-,"

"Enough. I've heard enough," Denzel said, walking away.

"Denzel, it's not-,"

"I..We won't tell Tifa."

"You don't have to. I've already heard," said Tifa, walking towards the stairs from behind the bar.

Cloud gasped."Tifa! It's not hers! It's yo-,"

BAM! She slammed her door shut.

_~I've waited for the white snow. I'll confess to you now, the words I've held back. I love you, your smile brighter than the sunset, you two hands that embraced me. I love you, I love you.~_

Tifa woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. _Oh.. Did I fall asleep again? I was supposed to go make breakfast.._ Just as she was about to get up, Cloud answered it.

"Hello? Yeah. I-I know. I know, it's my fault. When? Today. Right now, actually. I need to go to see the man down the street first. Call Johnny for me, 'kay?. Yeah, I'll call you when I get there." Click.

_~I promise that I will never leave you. I will always tell it to you face-to-face. ~_

The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed throughout the bar. _The man down the street? For what? _The sound of the bar door opened and closed. _He left so early.. _Tifa shot up and ran to Cloud's room. Everything on his desk was gone; the pictures, Aerith's flowers..everything. The only thing left on his desk, was a piece of paper.

Tifa stepped closer and picked it up. Fingers trembling, she read the note:

_**Tifa,**_

_**I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. But, it really wasn't Aerith's. It was ... It doesn't matter anyways. I'm sorry for all the pain I put you through. I don't deserve your tears. I'm sorry I couldn't keep our promise. It meant a lot to me. I won't be a burden anymore. I'm leaving. **_

_**Cloud**_

_**P.S. I'm sorry, I love you**_

_~I don't want to separate from with you, not even a single moment. When I lean on you, I hope the time will stop. I love you.~_

Tifa gasped as she read the last sentence. She quickly ran out of the room, dashing towards the door. A cold wind blew as she ran out the door, but she didn't care. With tears streaming down her face, she ran as fast as she could. _I have to reach him before he leaves! _Turning the corner, she sees Cloud getting in a car, Fenrir on the man's driveway. Her heart was pumping too hard, it hurt just to breathe. "Cloud! Cloud!,"

The man turned towards her, looking car that Cloud got in started moving. "No! No, Cloud!,"

Tifa closed her eyes for a second and ran as fast as she could. "Cloud! Cloud!," Tears ran down her face one after another, never stopping. It was so hard to breathe. _No matter what, though..I'll make it to him._

_~I love you. Your smile brighter than the sunset.~_

_**-Memory flashes-**_

_**"What's wrong?"**_

_**"Cloud, you're smiling."**_

_**"I am?"**_

_**"Yeah."**_

_**"It all starts now. A new..." Cloud looked for the right words. "A new life."**_

_**"I'm going to live. I think that's the only way I can be forgiven. All sorts of things... happened."**_

_**"But when I think about how many times I've thought about how I was going to start a new life, it's funny."**_

_**"Why?"**_

_**"I've always failed to do it."**_

_**"And you couldn't smile."**_

_**"...I think it will be all right this time."**_

_**Cloud became very quiet. "Because you've always been with me."**_

_**"I've always been with you."**_

_**"That's tomorrow's story," Cloud replied, smiling again.**_

"Cloud! Cloud!,"

Tifa's legs were exhausted. But, she kept pushing herself beyond her limit. Tifa breathed shorter, quicker breaths. Her legs were in so much pain. _I'll be with you..like I've always have_, she thought.

_~Your two hands that embraced me.~_

_**-Memory flashes-**_

**"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."**

**She felt Cloud's hand on her shoulder. He was holding onto her firmly as if he didn't want her to go anywhere. **_**For now, I'll just let myself cry as much as I want. I'll leave the rest in his hands.**_

The car turned onto a highway. "Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!," Tifa yelled, becoming more and more out of breath.

_~I love you, I love you.~_

**"It's not like you to be troubled by your thoughts."**

**"It's... Just the way I am."**

**"No. You're much more cheerful and strong. If you've forgotten the way you were then, I'll be there to remind you."**

**"You really will?"**

**"Probably," Cloud said blushing.**

Tifa's pace got slower and slower. "Cloud! Cloud!,"

_~I promise that I will never leave you.~_

**"We'll be all right, won't we?"**

**Of course, there was no answer. **_**I only heard the sound of him sleeping. I wondered if the fact that he was sleeping here meant that he was part of the family.**_

**"Do you love me?"**

Tifa collapsed on the highway, too tired to get up. "Cloud..,"

_**P.S. I'm sorry, I love you**_

_~I will always tell it to you face-to-face.~_

Tifa bowed her head down. Tears fell from her eyes and onto her pants. With quick breaths, she whispered her final words to Cloud. "I..I'm s-sorry. I..I-I..," _What's the use? He won't ever be able to hear me anyways.._

Something caught her eyes at that moment. A snowflake had fallen on her hand and quickly dissolved. _The First Day of Snow..,_ she thought.

"You what?,"

_~I love you.~_

Tifa looked up. "..Cloud?,"

He kneeled down beside her. "Somehow, I knew you were awake."

Tifa smiled. "I..I love you."

_~I love you.~_

Cloud gave her a shy smile. "I love you, too."

He gently grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "Come on."

"Wh-what?," asked Tifa, almost falling over.

_~I love you.~_

The snow fell harder; landing everywhere. Cloud steadied her. "Before we plan our wedding, I want to repay you for all the pain I caused you."

He slipped a silver band on her finger. Tifa looked down at it, surprised. Her whole life, she never thought that she would someday be marrying The Cloud Strife. That day, she smiled her first real smile in a long time; full of happiness and love. The snow fell harder, but no matter how cold it was, it was still a romantic scene.

_~I love you.~_

Cloud continued while Tifa was still looking at her ring. "However, this is not an exception."

Tifa looked up as he said his last words. He leaned down, and kissed her; his soft, warm lips over her small, plump ones. He slowly wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her closer. She smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey! Knock it off, you youngsters! People are tryin' ter get ter work here!," some guy yelled.

In the distance, you could see a girl wearing a pink dress with light-brown hair. "See? Someone **has **been with you all this time. You were just too dense, silly!,"

Tifa pulled away, smiling. "I love you," she whispered against his lips.

_~I love you.~_

Author's Note: I tried to make it as realistic as possible. My writing skills aren't the best (I'm only a 9th grader!), but at least I tried, right?

I'm almost done with chapter 5 of "Only For You", *cough*almost one-sixth done*cough* and I'm starting on "Happiness Is Hard to Find", which personally, I hated the title, but it's true (in my case). If you like ZackxTifaxCloud fics, try reading it sometime. Well, that is, as soon as I post it. I'm working on a crapload of stories right now (Like 5 stories), and I get confused which one's which at times. I can only write it out, I can't type because my laptop's keyboard is broken. I'm such a nerd for typing on that thing still. BTW; The first day of snow always struck me as 'Romantic' or 'Sweet'. Well, R&R, please!


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